The artist who created this digital painting is James Mongkhonvilay, a junior Graphic Design and Illustration major at the University of Central Missouri. He spent roughly 18 hours "painting" the UCM holiday greeting using a Wacon tablet and Photoshop software. To create the video, Mongkhonvilay records his artwork as he creates it on his tablet and replays the completed work in fast forward.

"Everyone has a story to tell," says Mongkhonvilay. "By stopping for a few moments and really listening, you can get a lot more out of an artwork than any book or movie."

Mongkhonvilay has been passionate about art since he was a child and has been drawing and painting since middle school. He applies the skills he developed from drawing to his digital masterpieces. Mongkhonvilay is inspired to create his digital paintings through video game illustrations, traditional artwork and by looking at children's books and comics.